J.J. Thomson is known for his discovery of the electron in 1897. Thomson's discovery led him to create a model of an atom called the plum pudding model. The diagram shows the plum pudding model.
Today, the plum pudding model is considered an inaccurate representation of an atom because an atom contains a
A.
negatively charged central core with electrons moving around the outside of the central core.
B.
positively charged central core with electrons moving around the outside of the central core.
C.
positively charged central core with neutrons moving around the outside of the central core.
D.
negatively charged central core with protons moving around the outside of the central core.
B. positively charged central core with electrons moving around the outside of the central core.
B. positively charged central core with electrons moving around the outside of the central core.
To determine the answer to this question, we need to understand the plum pudding model and compare it to what is now known about the atom.
The plum pudding model, proposed by J.J. Thomson, depicted the atom as a sphere of positive charge with electrons scattered throughout, much like plums in a pudding. This model suggests that the atom is a uniform distribution of positive charge with negative electrons embedded in it.
However, subsequent experiments, such as Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment, revealed that the atom contains a positively charged central core called the nucleus, which is surrounded by negatively charged electrons. Rutherford's experiment demonstrated that most of the mass and positive charge of the atom is concentrated in the nucleus.
Based on the information we now have about the structure of the atom, the correct answer to the question is:
A. negatively charged central core with electrons moving around the outside of the central core.
Therefore, the plum pudding model is considered inaccurate because it does not account for the existence of a concentrated positive nucleus within the atom.